Week 2 - Computer Systems

Question 1

At the most basic level, computers perform operations on what kind of data?

Answer 1

Binary data

Question 2

A computer processes information according to what?

Answer 2

Set of instructions

Question 3

What part of the computer does the ‘bulk’ of the processing?

Answer 3

Central Processing Unit (CPU)

Question 4

What is first needed for computers to be able to process data?

Answer 4

Input hardware e.g keyboard

Question 5

True or False: Output can be intended to be either permanent or temporary?

Answer 5

True - computers usually store results of their operation in memory. In the long term they may store it in a more permanent location, such as the hard disk.

Question 6

Chips that relieve the CPU from being bombarded with tasks are called what?

Answer 6

Co-processors.

Question 7

What are two advantages of co-processors?

Answer 7

The CPU is free to execute other instructions and co-processors are usually more suited to the tasks assigned.

Question 8

True or False: Early CPUs were very fast at processing complicated maths involving floating-point values.

Answer 8

False

Question 9

The math co-processor was a processor that could process complicated mathematics and perform them much slower than the CPU could. True or False?

Answer 9

False - it could perform them much faster than a CPU could

Question 10

What is included in modern CPUs to perform complicated floating-point mathematics that co-processors once handled?

Answer 10

Circuitry.

Question 11

Fill in the blanks: a __________ provides a unique way to identify each area of memory

Answer 11

Memory address

Question 12

Fill in the blanks: Memory is organised in a ____ manner, with an address denoting a particular space in memory.

Answer 12

Flat file

Question 13

The four stages of a computer’s instruction cycle are: ?

Answer 13

Fetch, decode, execute, store

Question 14

What happens at the fetch stage of the instruction cycle?

Answer 14

The next instruction to run is fetched from memory.

Question 15

True or False: at the decode stage of the instruction cycle, the instruction information is decoded so the processor knows what area of memory to use.

Answer 15

False - so the processor knows what circuitry to use.

Question 16

What happens at the execute stage of the instruction cycle?

Answer 16

The instruction is run.

Question 17

The store stage of the instruction cycle does what?

Answer 17

Stores the results of the operation.

Question 18

The circuitry for performing related operations are grouped together into what?

Answer 18

Logic units

Question 19

The most basic logic unit is called what?

Answer 19

Arithmetic Logic Unit, which provides basic arithmetic capabilities

Question 20

It is normal for modern processors to have an extra logic unit for specific tasks. For example, what type of logic unit can be used for decimal calculations?

Answer 20

Floating-point logic unit

Question 21

What are registers?

Answer 21

Registers are places in the processor’s circuitry where it can store information about the execution currently taking place.

Question 22

What are data registers used for?

Answer 22

Temporarily storing data

Question 23

What are address registers used for?

Answer 23

Keeping track of memory addresses

Question 24

What are instruction registers used for?

Answer 24

Storing the instruction currently being executed

Question 25

What are special purpose registers?

Answer 25

Storing internal processor information

Question 26

True or False: Registers are different from normal computer memory in that they store data only for executing an instruction, and are not used as a general data store.

Answer 26

True

Question 27

What is the term for a special register that holds the memory address of the next instruction to be executed?

Answer 27

Program counter (PC)